Beyond Varallan (39 page)

“What do they do?”

“Transductors supply energy forms demanded by ship operations. The junctions are where raw fuel is converted before it floods the transductors.”

“How big are these junctions?”

“They range in size, according to load and demand. They can be as large as twenty meters in diameter, or as small as—”

“Two meters?”

He nodded. I managed to maintain my composure. “Go on, Barrea. Tell me the rest of your theory.”

“We believe that energy is being drained from the transductors. It goes in a definite cycle. Very little power is lost, and slowly at first. The power drain grows greater and more rapid over a period of time.“

“What would happen if the power was drained all at once?” I asked, already sure I knew the answer.

“The engines would cease operation at once.”

“Okay.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “What happens next?”

“Once the engines are nearly drained of energy, the unidentified tap seems to heal itself. Power floods back into the cold engines, making them strain to compensate. The result is the sound you heard.”

“You don’t know what's doing this?” I thought I did, but I couldn't tell him that. Not yet.

“No, Senior Healer. We believe it may have something to do with the unexplained buffer breech in level fourteen some weeks ago.”

“Why is that?”

“We discovered some sonic-based matter in the engines themselves after that incident. The matter was identical to the shards removed from the three females who were injured.”

I related all I had learned from Barrea to Squilyp and Reever a short time later in Medical.

“Sit still,” the Omorr said as he attached the monitor terminals to my head.

“But don’t you see the connection? The smallest of these transductor junctions match the diameter of the light ring that flashed just prior to the murders.”

“What has this coincidence of size have to do with the loss of power to the engines?” Reever asked. “Transductor junctions cannot generate power surges or breaches in the sonic alloy.”

“Whatever is being used to kill our people apparently requires a tremendous amount of energy. Let’s say the murderer can tap into the ship's own power and drain it off from the engines. Barrea told me the engines would shut down if the power was drained all at once. So the killer has to do it gradually—siphon it off a little at a time.”

“Where would the power be stored during the draining process?” the Omorr asked.

My fingers flicked. “Tech details. Who cares. Let’s say the killer stockpiles the energy until he has enough to do this thing that kills the victim. After he attacks, the drain stops. The engines go into an immediate surge. Hence the engine rattle Roelm heard after the attack on Fasala and the two educators.“

“An interesting theory,” Reever said. “For which you have no evidence.”

“Your support is appreciated, Reever.” I glared at him. “What I can’t figure out is how the transductors are involved. This two-meter circle of light, does it come from them? Or is it supposed to be some sort of. artificial junction? Does it convert the power? Focus it?”

“Doctor.” Squilyp sounded pained. “We must begin. Oblige me by tabling this discussion for the moment.”

I obliged. “Did you secure the doors?”

“Yes, for the third time.” He checked the monitor connectors and stroked his gildrells. “You are certain you want to do this?”

“No one else is going to die.”

“Cherijo,” Reever said from the exam table next to me. “Calm yourself.”

I remembered something else. “I forgot to tell you about the stuff Barrea found in the engines.”

“Not now, if you please,” the Omorr said. “We can’t leave the ward unsupervised for too long. The nurses are already suspicious.”

“Oh, all right. I’m ready.”

“NE levels are reading normal,” Squilyp said as he checked the monitor display. “Limbic system neurotracer portals functional. Initiating continuous vital scans.”

“Be prepared to apply cortical electristim.” I lay down face-up. Reever turned on his side toward me. “Let’s go.”

The Omorr took his position by the monitor. “You may initiate the coupling.”

Cherijo.

Reever
, I thought back.
I didn’t even blink this time
.

We improve with practice. Yield to me now, Cherijo.

As we had before, Reever and I entered the recesses of my memory. It wasn’t as frightening this time.

Think of the third visitation. When you were injured. Remember, you are in control.

Someone had said that to me before.

Xonea’s voice.

Take control of the dream, Cherijo.

Take control.

Take take take—

I was back in the golden, glowing chamber. I couldn’t breathe right. It was there. I could feel it wrestling with me for control of my mind.

Look at the presence, Cherijo. See the face of your attacker.

Laughter mocked Reever’s quiet command. “You think you see me, little human?”

It was different this time.

Reever
? I called out, unsure of what to do.

Face your attacker.

I squashed the fear and turned back to the presence. My words were the same as they had been before.
Get it over with
. Again I watched as Ndo’s busy image appeared.

“Pnor never knew Ndo’s envy. Ever loyal, steadfast Ndo. Now only a speck on the face of a star. The one, true path.”

The ring of light. The shattering attack. Ndo’s collapse. The convulsions. Death.

I’ve been here, seen this. Come on out and face me.

“You are braver than before, little one. Remember our last encounter? I enjoyed watching your body writhe beneath my fists.” The voice gloated. “Almost as much as I enjoyed caressing you.”

You’re a sick, twisted monster.

“Oh, yes.”

I watched as an image of Yetlo appeared. He never opened his eyes, but deep inside me I sensed he knew he was dying, and fought for his life.

Yetlo. You did understand.

“You corrupted him. Diverted him from the true path. I gave him his greatest wish.”

You murdered him!

Cherijo, you must open your eyes.

“Yes, little one. Open your eyes.”

Anger gave me the last push I needed. I opened my eyes.

Xonea stood before me. His open hands dripped with green blood. “Here I am, my Chosen.”

Xonea?

“What say you, Cherijo? Is this not what you wanted? The truth?“ He came toward me. ”I am here for you, my Chosen. Here to divert your path.“ For a moment, he seemed to hesitate.

Reever was trying to break through some barrier between him and the two of us.
Cherijo, it is not Xonea
.

Sure looks like Xonea to me
. I wasn’t going to let him get away with this. He'd played me for a fool more than once. I went toward him, and was surprised to see him take an uncertain step backward.

What’s the matter? Afraid of the little Terran now?

“I will crush your bones to dust,” my ClanBrother said.

I reached with a mental hand and grabbed the front of his tunic. With a tremendous effort I tried to swing my other arm, but he jerked out of reach. A handful of fabric remained in my fingers. The tear revealed a jagged purple mark over his heart.

Xonea doesn’t have a birthmark on his chest
. I came at him again.
Who the hell are you
?

“Death.”

Reever broke through the barrier and thrust himself between us.

Remove this false image
, he ordered the presence.
Reveal your true face
.

“Not yet,” the voice whispered. Xonea’s image melted into a yawning, empty hole. “But soon. For now, here is something with which you can remember me.”

This time Reever shouted as we were jolted from the link back into reality.

Cherijo!

“Doctor!”

My eyes opened. The Omorr was pinning Reever to the exam table as he went into violent convulsions. I rolled off and tried to help him. Forgot about the hookups. I ended up sprawled painfully on the deck. By the time I untangled myself and stumbled to Squilyp, he had sedated Reever.

Someone began pounding on the outer side of the surgical suite’s doors.

“Visitors,” the Omorr said.

“Cherijo! Open this panel!”

“My ex-roommate.” I sighed. “You got those weapons Reever asked about, right?”

I’d never realized what a propensity for claustrophobia I had. Or that I knew that many bad words. Of course, I'd violated my superior's orders before. I'd just never been thrown in jail for doing so.

Captain Xonea took his sweet time in coming down to the detainment cell. By then I knew it was approximately forty-feet wide. Thirty-feet long. Twenty-feet high. Driving me nuts.

I heard my two guards speaking quietly to someone, then Xonea appeared outside the barrier.

I stopped pacing. “This your idea of poetic justice?”

He turned his head. “Deactivate the locking mechanism.”

I thrust my hands in my tunic pockets. “Don’t I get to speak to my judicial advisor before you start beating me up?”

Cool white eyes inspected me. “No.”

“Ha, ha, ha.” I sat down on the edge of the rock-hard sleeping platform. “Go ahead, Captain. Yell your head off, slap me around, whatever you want. It won’t change the facts. I've done nothing wrong.”

“You knew my orders regarding unauthorized psychic experimentation, Senior Healer,” he said. He stayed by the barrier. Xonea was becoming a careful man. Maybe there
was
hope for him. “You disobeyed me.”

“Yep. I did. How is Reever? Is he okay?”

“He has recovered. Why did you disobey me?”

“To find out who the killer is, Captain. And we did.” I rubbed my eyes. “Though Reever says I’m wrong.”

“Who was it?”

I dropped my hand. “You.”

The astonished horror on his countenance almost—
almost
—made up for what he’d done. The indignity of being arrested and escorted from Medical. Being pushed in a cell and locked up. Almost, however, was not good enough.

“Did you beat me? Try to rape me?” I rose. “Did you kill Roelm and Ndo? Did you kill Yetlo?”

“No!” Xonea said. He backed up against the barrier. Knocked into it with his shoulders. Guess he was appalled.

“No? You had plenty of motive,” I said. “Everyone knows how jealous you are where I’m concerned. Maybe you saw them all as a threat. Whoever has been attacking me obviously has an obsession with me. You nearly got yourself exiled for the same reason. This monster enjoyed hurting me. You tossed me across a room just the other day.“

Xonea dug his hands into the barrier mesh, fighting for control. “Cherijo, I would embrace the stars before I would harm you.”

“Sure you would. That’s why I'm currently enjoying these luxury accommodations, right?”

The Captain-of-the-
Sunlace
mask slid back over his face. “You are being detained for violating my orders.”

“Oh, yeah. Almost forgot. The first time Reever and I tried to access my memories and reveal the killer’s identity, you stormed into Medical You never did tell Pnor how you knew we were linking. Same thing happened today.”

“That is not how I knew what you were doing!” he shouted. “The information came to me through another source. I did not tell Pnor because it was a matter of honor!”

That was more like the Xonea I knew and wanted to push out a pressure lock.

“One of the nurses, I suppose.” I dropped back on the platform and reclined. The deck above me had seventy-six individual panels and a small stain to the right of the third cross section of rows fourteen and fifteen. “You’ve had one of them keeping an eye on me.”

“I cannot discuss the matter with you.” His voice drifted closer. Soundless as always, Xonea crossed the thirty feet of deck until he stood next to the bunk. He looked bigger and meaner and more handsome than ever. “Cherijo. Do you remember when you came to me here?”

“This conversation is over.” I closed my eyes. “Go away, Xonea.”

He knelt beside the platform. “I was prepared to die. You shielded me.”

“I have lousy judgment.”

One big hand reached out, encircling my throat. “When you came back from Pnor, and I touched you—”

My eyes flew open. “Forget it, Xonea.”

Fingers began releasing the front fasteners on my tunic. “I did not wish to stop touching you.” He pushed his hand beneath the open edge. “You pledged yourself to me.”

“Get your hands off, now.”

He didn’t. He was so close I could feel the heat coming in waves from his huge body. He wanted me. Maybe locking up a woman tickled his libido.

“I honor you, Cherijo. I desire you more than my life.”

“Well, I hate to disappoint you pal, but—” I yanked his hand off my breast and sat up. “Desire someone else.”

The warrior replaced the lover. He seized me, hauled me off the platform, dragging me up every hard inch of his body.

“You want me,” he said. “I can see the change in your eyes. Feel the heat of your body.” He buried his face in my throat. Anger made his claws emerge. “You will be mine.”

He wanted to get rough? Fine.

I put my lips next to his ear. “Maybe I’m still warm from being with Reever.”

This time a sleeping platform didn’t break my fall. My face did. I flew through the air, bounced off the detainment cell wall, and slid to the deck. Shock and pain made it hard to breathe.

Maybe my mouth
would
get me killed one day.

I touched my face with trembling fingers. Blood was running from my nose, mouth, and four shallow gashes on one cheek. Those claws were really sharp.

“Cherijo.” Now Xonea was picking me up, his face all distorted. As if
he
was the one who had gotten up close and personal with the plaspanel.

“Guards,” I called out, wincing as that made the cut on my lip split wider.

The guards appeared outside the barrier. When they saw what Xonea had done, they jerked open the access door and hurried inside.